A biased look at psychology in the world

October 21, 2012

When a Loved One Commits Suicide

Every year there are an estimated one million suicides worldwide and
those numbers have been rising in many countries. In the United States
alone, that means 37,000 deaths due to suicide
making it the tenth leading cause of death overall. What impact does
that have on people dealing with the suicide of a loved one? And do
they always get they need afterward?

In recent years, self-help
resources are becoming more common, whether online or through the
various self-help books and booklets available at bookstores or in
libraries. How effective these resources can be is still open to
question since actual research investigating their benefit is still
limited.

As a response to the 5500 suicide deaths that happen
each year in the United Kingdom, the National Suicide Prevention
Strategy for England was launched in 2002. As part of the comprehensive
anti-suicide initiative, a self-help booklet titled Help Is At Hand was
released in 2006. Available in hardcopy and online, the booklet was
developed by an advisory group made up of bereavement organizations,
mental health professionals, law enforcement agencies and academics
specializing in suicide research.